College hoop: UNH men whip Bryant to end 6-game skid

DURHAM — There was a lot to like about Saturday’s game for the University of New Hampshire men’s basketball team, and one thing to love:

The end of a losing streak.

“It feels great to get a win,” said junior guard Jordan Reed, who scored 10 points. “It’s been a long time and it feels real good right now.”

The Wildcats snapped a six-game skid, their longest in more than three years, with a 75-59, wire-to-wire victory against Bryant University in front of a small (attendance was 369) but appreciative crowd at Lundholm Gym.

On a day when they were pleasantly warm from the outside (9-of-22 on 3-pointers), they brought the win home with defense and by pounding it inside. Forwards Tanner Leissner (19 points, 12 rebounds) and Iba Camara (16 points, 13 rebounds) each had double-doubles.

The ‘Cats (2-6) finished with a whopping 47-22 edge in rebounds — only giving up two offensive boards all game — and held Bryant (1-7) to under 40-percent shooting.

“Two double-doubles from your frontcourt guys — that’s big,” said UNH coach Bill Herrion. “These numbers are much more who we are.”

Behind Camara and Leissner, the ‘Cats built on their eight-point halftime lead, going up by 14 when Leissner hit a 3-pointer and then scored inside to make it 59-45 with 9:38 left, with Bryant coach Tim O’Shea signaling for timeout.

The Bulldogs crafted a 10-2 run of their own to creep back within six, leading scorer Adam Grant pulling up for a jumper to make it 61-55 with a little over five minutes to go.

But down the stretch, the ‘Cats fed their big men -- neither of whom was in foul trouble -- and got the results they wanted. Leissner hit two free throws, and then fed Camara for an easy lay-in the next time down, part of a spurt of six straight points that sealed the victory.

Sophomore guard John Ogwuche, back in the starting lineup, was the fourth UNH player in double-figures with 12 points in 34 minutes. Defensively, he helped hold Grant to 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting, seven points below his team-high average.

“The positive with him is that as good as he was defensively, he gave us 12 points and five rebounds,” said Herrion. “The offense is a bonus. He was terrific today.”

It all added up to a win that produced equal parts excitement and relief.

“We really needed this win, just to be more positive going forward,” said Camara. “The guys have been ready to go. It feels real good to get a win because it’s been a tough stretch.”

The ‘Cats would like to bottle their start. Reed, whose shooting stroke had been a cool spell, buried a 3-pointer on the first trip and later struck again as his team built a quick 15-2 lead.

“It’s always good to see the first shot you shoot go in, for anyone,” said Reed. “It gives us some momentum and it carries over to our defense.”

Bryant stepped up its play at both ends after that, with Kostur driving to get it back within 28-23, capping a quick spurt that had Herrion signaling for timeout with five minutes left. It was 37-29 at halftime.

Led by their big men, the ‘Cats brought it home from there. The six-game losing streak, which included road losses at Texas and Florida, is behind them; the focus is ahead.

“I’ve said it to everybody: I think we’re better than our record,” said Herrion. “Tough schedule, tough travel. It is what it is. Now we need to build off this performance and carry it into Tuesday night.”

NOTES: UNH will play its third straight home game Tuesday (7 p.m.) when it hosts Niagara (3-5) of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. … Camara entered the game ranked eighth in Division I in defensive rebounds per game (8.43). The double-double was his fifth in the last six games. … Freshman G Elijah Jordan came off the bench for the first time this season, playing 12 minutes and scoring five points. … The six straight losses by the ‘Cats were the most since they lost the last seven games of the 2013-14 season.